Lost!
by Emana
Summary: Sophitia is your average Nasrad girl. She's a hard worker at the item shop, and she never misses a chance to bat her eyes at her crush, Dalan. When a chance meeting with a certain "Unfettered" comes and things fall apart, can she survive the result?CH9!
1. Stranger

**Prologue**

Sophitia had never been so scared in her entire life. The knife felt so sharp against her neck, she feared it would slash right through if the man that held it jerked even a little bit. At that moment she wished she were anywhere else in Arcadia but here. At that moment…

..........She wished she had never gotten lost in the first place....

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Several Hours before...

Sophitia groaned. She couldn't believe she'd gotten herself lost in her hometown of all places! Trying to get her bearings, her head swung around from one direction to the next, searching both sides so that the item shop she worked at would not escape her. She stopped to look at her reflection in a window. Her fair, black hair fell about her shoulders in a wavy way, and weren't quite far enough to reach her collarbone. Her green colored eyes stared back at her, and her attention was drawn to her eyelashes, which were usually disgustingly long, but since she'd cut them in an amateur way, they only looked weird.

She pouted at her deformed eyelashes and continued her way. Sophitia had only gone to buy a peck of khale, which was on sale that day, when she ran into Dalan, her super hot coworker and secret crush. Gazing into his gorgeous, glittering sapphire eyes and admiring his beautiful, short golden hair was enough to lose even married women. They had a pleasant conversation about the store (Actually, ANY conversation would be pleasant with Dalan), and how well the sales were going. Sophitia must have been walking during their talk, because she had been at the khale stand before, and now she had no idea where she was. The three 200-gold coins were still clasped in her hands. Sophitia looked up at the sun.

_The sale is probably over by now. So much for khale._

If only she hadn't ogled at Dalan until he left her sight…she suddenly ran into something. It felt like, and she hoped it was, the usual rough-clothed bags of bitter melons her boss kept outside the shop. So, for a while, Sophitia kept her eyes tightly shut in a vain hope that her wish would come true. When the thing she ran into began to move, however, her eyes flew open and she practically jumped back out of fright. Unsurprisingly, not only had her silent wish failed to come true (she was still lost), but a suspicious looking man had now been added to the equation. Suspicious looking to Sophitia, at least, because who else would be in such scary and winding alleyway?

"S-sorry," Sophitia hastily stuttered as the man turned to see who had bumped into him.

She tried to walk around him, but he raised a hand as if to stop her, so she quickly backed away instead. He looked okay, for a shady character (then again, compared to Dalan, all guys only look okay), but it was obvious he was a couple years older than she was. The only noticeable feature was the crimson, embroidered coat he wore.

The man knelt down so that his short, light brown hair was the only visible part of his head. At first, she thought he was trying to look under her dark green dress, for which she backed away even more. He straightened up and held out his hand. Sophitia didn't know what to do with this gesture, and actually considered making a break for it. That's when the fading sun glittered off his open hand, and she noticed he offered up three coins.

"You dropped these," he said, stepping forward so that she could reach.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, feeling foolish for her wrong assumption. "Thank you!" She added with a smile as she retrieved her money.

"No problem," He answered with a smile of his own.

She continued past him and around the corner into yet another alleyway. She stopped and frowned.

_Why are there so many blasted alleyways?!_

"Hey," The man called out as he caught up to her. "You seem…lost. Need directions?"

"Uh…"She felt uneasy, because she had just remembered there had been a bunch of kidnappings lately where the female victims were found dead on the doorsteps of their homes. _What a time to remember such a thing!_

"No I'm…I know where I am."

"Oh…well then you know there's a bar nearby," he said as he advanced towards her, "If you want, I can buy—"

"No thank you!" Sophitia jittered out, breaking into a dash.


	2. Once Lost, Now Found

"Hey, wait!" The man cried out behind her. Sophitia didn't dare look back, but could hear his footsteps close by.

_Holy Moons! He's following me!_ She thought in horror as she turned right and left down the winding streets. As long as got away from the man, she really didn't care much for where she was going. A few streets later and she was still lost, but the man's footsteps were no longer thumping after her. She was more concerned with the fact that night was upon her, and the pitch dark alleyways seem to yield unspoken frights as she became more and more anxious to experience what the streets had in store for her.

She jerked her head behind her. She could have sworn she heard the sound of footsteps edging up from the street she had just left.

_Oh no! Is he stalking me again?!_

She tried to run again, but was too worn out from her last marathon that she could only let out a tired jog. She didn't get very far as a result, and just when she staved to a stagger, she tripped and fell, wincing at the sting of the concrete. It was getting gradually colder, as the desert city was known for at night, and was now so dark she couldn't see where the next street began. She closed her eyes again, and imagined she was home. When the footsteps grew louder, she only closed her eyes tighter, as if to ward off her follower.

"Sophitia? What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"

Sophitia gasped. _I know that voice!_

Sure enough, like a beautiful angel come to save her, she looked up to find Dalan's gorgeous face staring at her. She practically jumped on him and cried.

"Oh Dalan! I'm so happy you're here! I was lost and I kept hearing footsteps and-"

"Calm down. You look awful. Why don't you spend the night at my place?"

Sophitia's heart fluttered.

"You…Really?!"

"Sure I don't mind sleeping on the couch. Come on."

For once, Sophitia was glad it was so dark, otherwise Dalan might have noticed how red her face was. He lead her around the corner to the first house on the left and ushered her in. She was greeted by a strange sight when he turned on the yellow moonstone powered electric lights: there were steel boxes that almost covered the entire floor, and they were strangely marked with all sorts of symbols and postage stamps.

"What is all this?" she unconsciously asked, and was answered by a strange, almost menacing stare from Dalan.

"Ah, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She quickly added, and Dalan's face melted back to its beautiful, normal self.

"The bedroom is just through that door, make yourself at home."

Not wanting to upset him anymore, Sophitia quickly slide through the doorway and laid down.

_Stupid! This is HIS house and I had to stick my nose in his business, and after he was nice enough to let me stay! I just might have screwed up my chances with him..._she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *


	3. Kidnapped

_

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_

Okay…

Sophitia thought. _This can't be good._ Her wrists were tightly bound to her sides and her ankles were tied together in a way where she could stand on her own, yet not be able to walk. Sophitia had fallen asleep at Dalan's house and woke up to a gun pointed to her head and the realization that Dalan was…her heart broke every time she thought on it. Dalan had his gun poised at the only entrance to the ruins of an ancient temple they were in.

_All those boxes were probably smuggled loot from the other women he's stalked…and now Dalan and his friend have me kidnapped. Out of all the people in this world, why does the woman stalker have to be someone as hot as Dalan? Then again, he probably uses his looks to his advantage…like he did with me._

A deep sadness filled her as her thoughts unfurled. She looked up at Dalan. He held a torch in his other hand and a murderous smirk that greatly contrasted his near perfect countenance. His partner stood a few inches away from her, as if to ensure she didn't escape.

_They have me tied up to use as bait for some Air Pirate I don't even know and probably haven't even met. Somehow I don't think this is going to turn out well. I mean, he might not even show up. Then what happens to me?_

Everyone in the room stiffened when footsteps were heard at the entrance.

"Gilder the Unfettered?" Dalan asked, spitting on the ground in front of him and pointing his gun at the silhouette that materialized at the entranceway.

"Yes." The shadow replied, stepping into the light of the torch. The man DID have an air of familiarity about him, but Sophitia was too concerned about her situation to remember where she had seen that ornate red coat of his. That, and she really didn't care to remember. The man called Gilder glanced her way.

"I think there's been some mistake." Gilder spoke with a slight smile. "I don't know that woman. She's a complete stranger to me."

_Exactly what I was trying to tell them._

"Too bad," the kidnapper beside her said, brandishing a knife. "Because we hate to carry deadweight around here." Sophitia felt the color drain from her face. "If you say she's a stranger, then what's one less life in this world, hm?"

He caressed her neck with the blade, a perverted smile covering his face. Sophitia began to shake, though she couldn't tell if she shivered from fear or the cold edge under her chin. Her mind couldn't help focusing on the knife and blocked all noise completely, as if the world had gone quiet. And with that came a shocking realization: she was going to die here because no one knew her (Other than Dalan, but he obviously didn't care).

The conversation continued, with Sophitia barely paying any attention to their words.

"Easy now, okay?" Gilder replied, the hint of smile he had faded away completely. "I can see you don't believe me when I tell you she's a stranger. Tell me what you want."

"We want money. We target anyone and everyone for money, 'cause our boss needs a lot and so do we. Thought that was obvious. Put your weapons on the ground. Slowly." Dalan cried out to the man. Gilder paused, as if debating whether or not to obey, before taking out a gun from the folds of his coat and carefully laying it on the floor. His expression was the definition of calm, but his eyes drifted from one person to the next, as if formulating a plan.

"I'm telling you," he reiterated as he calculated. "I really don't know that woman."

"Yeah, yeah." The knife man said. "We saw you giving her money in an alleyway. We know there's a lady friend of yours that you pay for…special…services."

"You think she's—sigh—she's not the woman I see. This is all a big misunderstanding. I met _this_ woman in an alley, that's true, but I don't know her. She just so happened to bump into me and drop a few coins which I returned like any Blue Rogue would. I never even got a chance to ask her name."

"Yeah that's a load of—"

Sophitia wasn't quite sure what happened at this point. After all, she was too absorbed with the instrument of death at her throat. However, in that moment, the tension she felt was cut, for something odd happened to the knife man. She fell to the ground and, feeling a little dizzy after hitting her head on the floor, somehow managed to prop her upper body up and wriggle forward a little. Dalan, his eyes still on the Air Pirate, called out to his partner, but there was no response. Sophitia was surprised she was still alive and, for a moment, snapped out of the terror that had paralyzed her. Dalan, with his gun still pointed at Gilder, quickly scanned behind him for his friend. That's when Sophitia noticed she lost what little movement she had over her legs, and they felt strangely heavy and wet.


	4. Blood

She wreathed, glanced behind her, and stared. The knife man's body was pinning her legs down, his corpse bloody from something she couldn't quite make out. She quickly turned her head away.

"You bitch! What did you do to him?!" Dalan angrily called out to her. Sophitia couldn't answer; her heart sank lower as her coworker insulted her.

"She's tied up." Gilder pointed out. "There's no way she could have done anything."

"Yes she did! I know she did!"

"Take it easy. Think. What you're saying is impossible."

"You stupid bitch! I'll kill you!"

In the few seconds it took Dalan to swing his gun, cock it, and point it at her, Gilder had already stooped down and grabbed his own gun. Sophitia's eyes grew wide, realizing just how far Dalan would go for money.

"Dalan…" she pleaded weakly. "You…you wouldn't. Please Dalan…Don't do this…"

_Where's the Dalan I know?! This can't really be his true face! I must be dreaming! Wake up! Wake up!_

She went through the usual motions she takes to wake herself up, but no matter how many times she closed and opened her eyes, Dalan's fearsome image still stood there to greet her. That, and her feet were still soaked in a stranger's blood.

"He's not the person you think you think he is, girl." Gilder said with a scowl on his face,"He's a greedy, hardened, piece of scum. Plus, I'm fairly certain he's gone over the edge."

Sophitia didn't hear him. As Dalan's crazed eyes and wicked smile took over his face, fear once again took over her body; this time in an overwhelming wave. So much fear, she felt as though someone were strangling her. So much fear, her heart refused to beat.

"Say good-bye, wench." Dalan's finger twitched, and Sophitia felt a single drop fall from her eye. Just when she thought it was all over, a parrot came flying out of nowhere and attacked Dalan's gun, forcing it to point to the ceiling before it went off, and making the woman stalker drop his torch. Everything suddenly grew shockingly dark, and all Sophitia could hear was the shrieking of the parrot and the shuffling of feet. Yet, somehow, things didn't seem nearly as terrifying as before, and she found that she could finally breathe again.

"Stupid Parrot! I'll shoot you!"

"Willy! Operation Eyes!"

"Raaawk! Aye aye! Operation Eyes! Raawk!…Over here! Over here! Raaawk!"

More shuffling and a round of gunshots echoed throughout the old temple before everything fell silent. Sophitia gasped; she felt a pain in her chest which gradually grew worse.

_Holy Moons…I've been shot._

The pain seemed to come from the upper part of her chest, below her collarbone, and she could feel the blood dripping down her dress. She could no longer hold her upper body in the awkward position she had held, and she sank to the floor. The ruins remained dreadfully silent.

_They've probably left me for dead._

"Sweetheart? You okay?" A voice cried out.

She couldn't answer; she couldn't find her voice. And even if she wanted to talk, why would she? After all, she had seen what her crush was capable of, and the Air Pirate he was after couldn't be much better. It didn't really matter anymore. She was going to die and, as long as they didn't make it unnecessarily agonizing, why did she care who was calling out to her? She began to feel cold.

"Andy? You still nearby?" The voice called again.

"Yeah. I saw the whole thing Cap'n Gilder." A big gruff voice replied.

"Oh good. I don't have to waste time explaining." The first voice replied. "Until I know for sure Mr. Mental is dead, I'm gonna want you here. More importantly, we mustn't forget our lady friend: she's probably out cold."

A faint light emitted from the entrance of the temple, growing brighter every few seconds.

"Raawk! How'd I do? How'd I do?"

"You were excellent, Willy, as usual. Now just hang around, I might need you too." The voice of Gilder said with a chuckle.

"Aye aye! Raaawk!"

"What do ya think happened?"

"Mm…see those crevices in the walls? This place is just crawling with traps…tch. Figures. It wasn't my bullets that killed this fella, he croaked after taking a poison dart to his head. Damn good thing I wasn't doing any fancy footwork; a few of these tiles are really switches. Watch where you step."

"Got it…oh. The lady's conscious…barely. The guy on her legs doesn't look too good though."

Knowing that she was spotted, Sophitia couldn't hold back a shiver that she felt go from the nape of her neck to the end of her spine. She heard someone curse.

"His entire left side is piled with these poisoned babies. Somehow I don't think they even bothered to check this place out before coming here with a hostage and a list of demands. Bunch of fools, they ended up screwing their own lives. I could think of several better ways to commit suicide."

When she felt the massive weight of the dead knife man removed from her legs, she began to cry, remembering she was dying for absolutely no reason all at the hands of her beautiful ex-coworker.

"Mm? Hey, it's all right honey. No need to cry, it's all over. You're safe."

She felt a pair of hands grab and place her in a sitting position against the wall.

"Wha—Damn. She's got a dart too. Willy! Go get Joshua, will ya? Tell him to bring loqua and bandages."

"Raawk! Aye aye!" The parrot sqwaked as she watched it fly off.

"Andy, let me borrow your knife. And hold my lighter for me…Thanks."


	5. Cheating Death

[This chapter has been deleted]


	6. Huh?

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**Author Emana's note:** Now to divulge a little known fact…I hate Sophitia…

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For Sophitia, everything was black. As far as she could she there was nothingness; a bleak, echoing nothingness that threatened to engulf her. Wasn't she just doing something? What was she doing before she was plunged into this despairing world of emptiness? Where was she, anyways? She felt heavy, as though the blackness was an actual, physical thing.

Suddenly, she saw a light. It grew brighter each second and made her head hurt. She didn't like it; she didn't like the light, but she didn't know how to make it go away. The light turned into a sun-lit room. She stared; she was half sitting, half laying on a red cushioned bench.

…_What?..._

"Rawk! Oh baby! Harder! Harder!" A voice cried out, piercing through her ears like an arrow. She fell off the bench and looked up in alarm. Upon a curved bird swing suspended from the ceiling rested a green and red plumed parrot wearing sky-goggles; it was peering at her with its head tilted in curiousity. She couldn't help but laugh a bit, feeling foolish indeed to be frightened by a bird. She looked around in a daze, and realized that her uncoordinated descent from the bench was largely due to a blanket wrapped around her body. She felt odd, as though she were outside of herself, as though she were missing something…

_Why do I feel so…strange? Wha-? Is this my shirt? It looks awfully big. The ends reach my knees…it's more like a dress…_

She took in her surroundings, and acknowledged the fact that she wasn't in a room but on a ship, after watching an island pass by in the window. It certainly was an odd ship, with all sorts of strange objects around. There were numerous portraits of pretty women in dangerous clothes all staring down at her with sly smiles. There were also scattered ashtrays filled with dead cigarettes, a dartboard, and a couple of different weapons on display among the cabinets.

Just as Sophitia wondered what to make of this, a man climbed up the stairway next to the helm. He was dressed in a white shirt (much like the one she was wearing), wore a neckerchief tied by a decorated skull pendant, had black pants, leather shoes, and an expensive looking, embroidered, crimson short-sleeved coat. He had fine, light brown hair with a matching pair of hawk-like eyes behind a small pair of armless spectacles. Two curls of his hair protruded from the top of his head to the middle of his forehead, and he had a scruff of a goatee on the edge of his chin.

He came in with a smoldering cigarette in his mouth, his eyes staring off in deep thought. He stopped dead when he noticed her and, for a while, they simply stared at each other. Sophitia couldn't remember if he was a friend or an enemy.

"Well good morning, beautiful. How are ya feeling?" The man said with a smile, walking over to kill the last embers of his cigarette on a nearby ashtray.

"I…I think I'm okay."

_I don't quite know who this man is, but something tells me he's good to trust. Or could it be tha-_

"That's good." The man said, unintentionally interrupting her thought process. "Hey, are ya hungry? It may not be much, but I've got some bread here."

"Yes, please." She answered, joining him by one of the cabinets.

"Er…" He began, handing her a hunk of bread and some bandages. "About your…chest. You might want some fresh bandages and the chance to do it yourself, especially after last night's escapade."

"What?" She asked, a bit confused, "What happened last night?"

The man stared off into space again with a blank look before placing an arm on one of her shoulders and leading her back to the bench.

"Don't worry about it." He said, "You'll remember in time."

The two of them sat down; Sophitia munched on the bread while the man held out crumbs for the parrot.

"Um…" Sophitia started, finishing her bread off.

"Mmm?"

"Who…are you? And where are we? I mean, where are we going?"

"That's right! We never WERE properly introduced, were we?" The man said with a laugh. "They call me Gilder the Unfettered. And we're on my ship, The Claudia. We were on our way to Nasrad, but a storm's given us a little trouble these past few hours. The way's clear now, and we were blown a little off course, but we should be there by this afternoon."

"I see."

"More impor-"

"RRRAAAWWWWKKK!!!!"

"Oh, sorry partner. This is Willy. He tends to feel a little left out when I don't introduce him to someone, especially when that someone happens to be a fair maiden such as yourself. Hahaha!"

"Raawk! Fair maiden! Rawwk! Fair maiden!"

Sophitia couldn't help but laugh a little herself as the parrot flew in a circle around her to land on her shoulder, commenting on her looks with a whistle.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Willy."

"Raawk! She likes me! Raaawk!"

"Settle down, Willy, or she won't like you for very long. Sorry 'bout that." He apologized, coaxing the parrot into his hand.

"Hehe. It's fine."

"More importantly, what is YOUR name, fair maiden?" Gilder asked, throwing her another smile.

"My name? It's…it's…"

_Huh. That's funny. I can't remember what my name is. …That's…weird…._

"I honestly can't remember…Now that I think of it…I can't remember anything before waking up on this ship…."

She turned back to look at him only to find Gilder staring at her with an odd mixture of disbelief and concern.

"Are you-"

"Oh, I'm fine. That's what I'm finding even stranger." Sophitia quickly interceded. "In fact, it's as if all my cares and troubles have been washed away; nothing seems to phase me in a negative way. It's a rather…odd…feeling."

"Carefree amnesia? This is new, but it certainly sounds like my kind of disease. Haha! As long as you truly feel okay…" He eyed her with an air of inquisition.

"Other than the fact that I can't remember anything past five minutes ago, I think I'm pretty fine. Or, at least, I feel that way."

Gilder shrugged with a smile.

"A carefree life is a good one. And I should know! HAHAHA! But…_unfettered_…or not, I think you'd still want some privacy to redress that wound. So I'll leave you to that."

"Hang on." She spoke up, just as the man was making his way downstairs.

"Hm?"

"Shouldn't someone be steering the ship?"

"Oh. Haha. We actually have _two_ helms. One in here and one up near the stern. It's so I can use the bridge for…er…meetings…and one of my men can still keep us on course." He explained, scratching his chin. "Any how, get some more rest, and try not to have too much fun!" He added with a laugh before leaving.

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**Author Emana's next note:** Now to divulge the reasons why: She's so pathetic. If I was her I'd be kicking like crazy, hot crush or no, if I was kidnapped. I wouldn't just stand there and gawk. And when my crush has a gun to my head I'd spit at him and wiggle away, not just sit there and cry. And when Gilder suggests to suck out poisen I'd say "Screw yourself, and give me that knife. I'LL do it." And if he objects I'd be like "Bite me"………on second thought, "bite me" wouldn't be all that good of a phrase in this situation…Then again, I suppose we all really don't know what it's like to be in such a situation until we are actually ARE kidnapped and having a complete and total stranger…well…you get the picture. I guess what I really don't like about her is the "trust beautiful people" thing she kind of has going on here.

Speaking of Sophitia and the sudden amnesia she has, go through the passage pretending you don't know anything about what happened before this chapter. Just think of what Gilder says "especially after last night's escapade" and let your dirty imagination roll. With the exception of a few parts that might not make sense if you think of it that way, it's quite funny. I actually didn't realize this until I was going through the chapter one day. Oh but wait, who has ever heard of someone getting amnesia from a dirty night out? Well, I guess if it was REALLY unpleasant…

Now to write up the next chapter and torture Sophitia some more...


	7. More Strangers

* * *

After Sophitia put new bandages on her injury (upon which she realized why Gilder insisted she do it herself), she tried to curl back up on the plush couch. She couldn't sleep; she was too anxious to explore the rest of the ship. Getting off the bench, she softly made her way down the stairs by the side of the helm. She had to choose between an extremely narrow hallway that veered from her right and a door that lay in front of her. Choosing the door, she was greeted by a wave of wind upon opening it.

She found herself on the bridge, and she could not help but admire the beautiful rose-red colored wood as well as the dancing black sails. Before her lay the second helm Gilder spoke of, on a part of the ship that was slightly higher than the deck. At the helm was a man a bit taller than her, with a blue Nasrean-style long-sleeve shirt and white pants. As she climbed up the ladder and came closer, she took note of his shocking blonde hair and his unyielding black eyes that were fiercely concentrated on the task ahead. As she approached, the only recognition he gave her presence was an unfeeling short stare.

"Um…hello." She said. The man didn't even twitch.

"…Is that hard?" Still, the man gave no response.

"You're pretty quiet. What's your name?" The man continued his work without reply.

"…I'd give you mine, but I really can't remember it…"

This time, the man slowly turned to stare at her in utter amazement.

"Are you…" He said tentatively, "…_talking_…to me?"

The question threw her for a loop, taking her a few seconds to register what he said.

"Well…is there anyone else around?" She asked, checking herself.

"…I suppose not…it's just…"

"Just what?"

"Nothing. Hello, no it's not hard, and my name is Orion. It's good to meet you." He said rather stiffly.

"Are you…okay?"

"…Yes…" He said through a clenched jaw.

"Oh…o-okay."

Because he seemed uncomfortable with her there, she decided to go explore elsewhere.

"Rrrrawkk! Wanna lookout! Wanna lookout!"

"Hahaha!" A big booming voice came from above her. "So you wanna relieve me of lookout duty, Willy?"

She stared up at the tip of the mast to see a rather tall and dark skinned man laughing as the parrot flew up to join him. There wasn't a crows nest, but the big guy seemed quite at ease merely sitting near the top of the mast.

"Aye Aye! Rrawk! Aye Aye!"

"Hahaha! Thanks buddy!"

The parrot screeched again as the big guy slide down the mast with a speed that matched his extremely muscled stature. He had a green, open vest for a shirt, with matching pants, a yellow sash, and a black eyepatch covering his right eye. He was bald, and would have looked quite fearsome if he wasn't smiling so exuberantly. As he passed her to go through the door leading to the bridge, he gave her a mock salute with a grin.

On a whim, she decided to follow him through the door and down the hallway she had avoided the first time around. It led to another short flight of stairs, leading below deck. She stopped upon reaching the first door and glanced through its window.

She saw the big guy inside along with another man in what looked to be the crew's living quarters. The big guy was punching what appeared to be an extremely stuffed sandbag, and the other man seemed comfortably asleep in a chair with his head resting on the nearby table. When the big guy noticed her watching, he smiled and motioned for her to come in. She did so, looking around the hammocks which were littered with empty loqua bottles and random cards.

"Hey, how ya doin'?" The big man asked, going back to punching the sandbag.

"Um…fine…But…I think there is something wrong with the man at the helm, though. I think he said his name was Orion or something…"

"Eh? Wha, did he blab somethin' funny?"

"No…well, sort of. He seemed to think me strange for talking to him…"

"Yep, sounds like Orion. He's just nervous 'round people. People usually avoid him 'cause of the fact he has trouble startin' small talk. Take's awhile for him ta get used to ya. Bit o' a loner...Hey, why don't ya grab a seat?"

She made a move to take the unoccupied chair, but the big guy laughed and said "Naw, take this one!"

He practically kicked the other guy onto the floor, and patted the then vacated chair. She took his rather strange offer and sat down, eyeing the still sleeping man on the floor.

"Er…was it ok to do that?"

"Oh he'll be fine. Do it all the time, haha."

Just as he said that, the man stirred.

"Wha-? ANDY! WHY YOU-" The man turned to face the chair with fists raised, but stopped with his mouth agape when he found Sophitia in place of the culprit he was expecting. Sophitia slightly smiled in embarrassment while Andy roared with laughter. The man, whom she noticed to be a few inches shorter than her, attempted to regain his composure all the while muttering curses. He wore brown, robe-like clothes with a short, orange cloak fastened around his shoulders. His brown hair was way too long in front, covering his eyes like a blanket, and he had a compass attached to his belt.

"Well hey there, sweet thing." He said, standing up to give her a grin. "I'd be the one and only Joshua. Perhaps you've heard of me…"

"If she has, which I doubt, she wouldn't remember anyways 'cause she's got amnesia."

"What? She does?"

"Yeah. Willy told me."

"Well if Willy told you to jump off the ship, would you do it? 'cause then I wouldn't have to worry about waking up on the floor…again!"

"Aw come on, Josh. Ya know ya like it."

"Yeah? Says who? Willy?"

"Well, if ya didn't like getting pummeled, ya wouldn't act like a little punk all the time. Hehe."

"Tch….Amnesia huh? Hmmmm…" Joshua looked at her suddenly with a wicked grin, which made her a bit uneasy. "Hey sugar, let's play a game."

"A…game?" Why didn't she like the way he said that?

"Yeah, it's called Draw n' Drink."

"Draw and Drink? I don't know…"

"Aw come on! It's an easy game and it doesn't hurt…heck you might even…enjoy…it."

"Well…I guess I could. But only for a little bit."

"Excellent. Andy! Get the loqua!" He commanded as he grabbed a deck of cards.

"Get it ya self. I'm stayin' out o' this." Andy retorted, his face grim as he left the cabin.

"Suit yourself! It just means more for me!" Joshua yelled at the door.

"Um…how do you play?"

"Simple. We take turns picking a card from this deck. If it's a face card, you have to swing a glass of loqua. If it's any other card, you don't do anything. Easy, right?"

"Oh, ok…but wait. What did you mean when you said 'more for me'?"

"I was…er…uh…private joke. Here, you first."

"Ok." She picked up a king.

"Oooh…Looks like you get a taste of heaven." He smirked as he poured her a glass.

She took it and stared at it awhile. _Should I really be doing this?_ Just as she was about to take a sip, the cabin door slammed open.

"JOSHUA!!" Gilder yelled as he walked into the cabin, Andy close behind him.

"Captain?! Andy, you bilge rat! You _told_!"

Sophitia was confused. Did Joshua do something wrong?

"And he was right in doing so. What do you think you're doing, eh Joshua?"

"Aww come on, captain! You said I could…er…have fun with whoever I wanted as long as they were willing. I mean, come on! It's just a harmless game…And she agreed to play!"

"Harmless game? I bet you a thousand you made sure the little lady always has a face card every time it's her turn. And from the look on your face, it seems like I'm right. Are you that desperate?"

"Yes! I can't even remember the last time I got laid!"

_Huh? Laid? Wait…was that man…Joshua…was he trying to…? Ah!_ Sophitia sat wide-eyed in dead silence as the two continued to argue.

"Laid? I think you're a little confused. Tricking an amnesiac girl into playing a rigged drinking game for the sole purpose of having your way with her doesn't go with the word 'laid'. It's a little something people call rape. Something I'm sure you're very familiar with, considering your twisted little past."

"Captain Brower would have let me…" Joshua mumbled.

"Yeah? Well you're not on Bloody Brower's ship anymore, now are you? _My_ ship, _my_ rules. Come on, sweetheart. I'll take you back to the bridge."

"Yes, go back to the pictures of half-naked women." Joshua sneered.

"At least I can _get_ women, Joshua." Gilder retorted with a slight smile as he lead her out.

She didn't get very far; the ship jerked just moments after she heard a strange splintering noise.


	8. Despair

"Captain!" Orion's voice came from a talk tube. "We've found them. Or rather, they found us."

"Good!" Gilder yelled in the general direction of the talk tube as he steadied himself from the shake. "Keep at it until I get up there! Andy, Joshua, you know the routine. Let's go!"

"Aye aye!" The three chorused as Andy and Joshua rushed to their posts.

"It would have been better if we had made it to Nasrad first to...Ah..." Gilder muttered to himself before turning to her.

"Hey." Gilder said as he directed Sophitia back to the crew's quarter's "Stay in here, lock the door, and don't let anyone in but me, Andy, or Orion."

"What about Joshua?"

Gilder cocked his head and looked off into space with a glance that looked half amused and half disturbed.

"I…Somehow I don't think that's a very good idea. No, don't open it for Joshua." He finally replied, before going off himself.

Sophitia locked the door as she was told, and just stood there. Well, what else was there to do? She could look through the crew's stuff, but she didn't want to make them mad. That, and she was a little nervous of what she might find. She started pacing, but when the swaying and occasional sudden lurching of the ship made her sick, she fell on the ground. Staying on the floor seemed to help a lot, so she just laid there.

_I wonder how they're doing up there. Now that I think of it, I wonder who they're fighting. _

She tried to get her mind off of the airsickness by imagining the four of them in battle. It was hard, because whenever she really concentrated, strange images flashed up on her. It wouldn't have bothered her if she knew what the images looked like, but the pictures in her mind came and went before she could even identify what they were. It was like an idea that she forgot as soon as she thought it up.

_If it is an idea, it needs to learn to stick inside my head long enough for me to make sense of it. Wait…what's that noise?_

She sat up and listened. It sounded like banging. She noticed the ship wasn't moving anymore and she tried to figure out what the noise was. There was another loud bang, like someone was looking for something.

"I still don't understand why I'm stuck doing this! Oh yes, let's send Davidson to go and check through the Blue Rogue's ship for treasure and crap while the rest of us distract the crew, 'cause we're going to be pansies on this one. That's a wonderful plan! But there's just one slight problem…I'M THE STRONGEST DAMN MEMBER! But no! I have to go on a treasure hunt instead of a fighting spree all because I just so happen to have slept in a little this morning! The rest are going to be half dead when I get back, and they'll expect me to save their sorry asses as always. Of all the stupid things to do…"

It was a man's voice, and it didn't seem all too familiar. Though she could hear him coming up to the cabin she was in, she couldn't bring herself to feel anything more than slightly nervous.

_I should be afraid! Scared stiff! What's wrong with me? Are my nerves too shot to even feel anything?_

She stood up and faced the door just as the man crashed through. When he saw her, he stepped back a little out of surprise; it was obvious he wasn't expecting anyone to be there. After he looked her up and down though, he sneered.

"Well what do you know? Looks like we interrupted the crew's fun with our little fight. Ooh, this is going to be entertaining."

"Get…get back or I'll…I'll…"

"Or you'll what? Throw a deck of cards at me? Don't make me laugh."

"I'll scream. I swear I'll scream."

"Your rouge lovers won't be able to hear you. They're too caught up in the fray on deck."

"No…ra…rape…" She tried to scream, but she felt sick again and the flashing images came back.

"Rape? No, you might want to talk to my friend, Dalan, for that. He does the rape thing. Such a pity he's not around to give it to you...though I doubt he'd do you anyways 'cause you ain't his type."

_Dalan? Hang on, why does that name sound so…so…_

"No, killing is where's it's at, for me. Nothing better than strangling the life out of someone, something I think I'll do to you…hehehe."

She tried to think of a way out, she tried to run, but her body wasn't responding. Her mind kept going over the name "Dalan" like it was some sort of holy object that should be worshipped with repetition. Dalan, Dalan, Dalan was repeated over and over again, to the point where she got a headache. To the point where she couldn't speak. To the point where the man had his hands around her throat. To the point where she couldn't breathe.

To the point where the darkness came back to haunt her.

* * *

**Author Emana**: And then Sophitia dies…psych. That would be a really stupid ending.

Next Chapter is coming soon...as well as more ways to TORMENT Sophitia...MUWAHAHAHAHA!!!


	9. Huh? Reprise

**Emana:** All right! After much annoying chores, tests, and other life stuff, I have finally finished this next chapter! I've actually had to do this chapter over four times because I kept changing my mind about what happens. That, and I had to cut this chapter in half because it was extra long. Sorry about the wait. If all goes well, I'll have the next chapter up by next week. Cross those fingers! Please feel free to drop me any kind of review, whether it's a criticism or a complement. Thank you Martin III, R.P. Tacy, and ImonZ for your support! Your reviews are not ignored.

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_Gun…Parrot…Money…Lost…Knife…Blood…Poison…Lost…Sacri…Bandage…Knife…Lost…Dart…Loqua…Curia…I'm Lost…Gun…Blood…Poison…Help…Pirate…Kidnap…Darkness…Someone…Cold…Knife…Dart…Help...Blood…Poison…Gun… _

…_Dalan._

_What?_

The last thing Sophitia remembered was the Air Pirate. _Yes, that Air Pirate with the red coat. He was…he was…oh Moons, no. I don't want to remember that just yet. I'm having a hard enough time trying to get out of this water. _

It was a horrible sight: water of the bleakest black as far as the eye could see. It was cold and dark but…_But wait, I don't feel wet! Is this even water at all?_

It looked like water, and she couldn't breathe, so it must have been. Her head felt like it was swimming, her lungs were screaming for air, and there was that strange, waving sensation that only liquid could produce. It had to be water, because there was nothing else it could be.

_I can't breathe… Oh Moons, I can't breathe. Am I…am I…dead? No…no I can't be dead! Somebody! Somebody help me! I'm drowning! Help!_

The water weighed a ton and, as a result, she couldn't lift up her arms to flail or move her legs to kick. She just kept sinking deeper into the depths of the black water. How horrible it was, to be trapped in an inescapable liquid, cold and alone, and not even have the ability to scream. Knowing that you could do nothing but wait to die.

She was just about to give up and let the liquid claim her life when she tasted air. Sweet, sweet air. She never knew that something as common as air could possibly taste so sweet and wonderful before then. She wanted more, and she tried to lift herself up to obtain it. That's when she started hearing things…beginning with a voice.

"Captain, we got all of-WHOA!…Captain…THIS IS SO NOT FAIR! HOW COME YOU GET TO PLAY BUT I DON'T?!!"

"Joshua, has anyone ever told you how horrible your timing is?"

She started to gain feeling in her body again too, taking notice of the rocking wood that she lay on, a sensation that clearly felt as though she were on a ship…She tried to push away the veil of darkness that still lingered, making an unintelligible sound in the process. One of the voices took it as a sign of consciousness.

"Look out girl! The Captain has the hots for you! Better get away before he gets any more ideas."

This proclamation pretty much shattered what was left of the darkness, and she found herself slowly regaining use of her body.

"Shut up, Josh. Your comments aren't helping."

This voice was much closer than the other was, and she opened her eyes in alarm. Much to her displeasure, that red coated Air Pirate was kneeling by her side…a little too close. Just as soon as he realized she was awake, she reached out her arms and pushed away from him with such force that her momentum rolled her quite a distance across the room. She quickly sat up and glared at the two of them, her hands raised in a defensive stance.

"You see?! She doesn't have any interest in you! I'm gonna mutiny." Joshua prattled, walking out the door shouting: "MUTINY!! MUTINY!! MUTINY!!"

She could hear him yelling it out like a battle cry all through the ship, but it didn't seem like anyone was joining him. In fact, it sounded like one of his crewmates was laughing. The red-coated Air Pirate let out an aggravated sigh before turning his attention to her.

"Do me a favor and drink this; it'll make you feel better." He told her, taking out a flask from somewhere from his coat. "I'll be right back."

Rubbing his head as though it hurt, he left too.

_…Huh? What was that about?_

She stared at the flask he left her. It looked like one of those tiny things people fill up with really strong alcohol.

_Is he serious? I'm not taking anything he gives me! How do I even know it's safe? And besides, I don't drink. I can't imagine what such hard stuff might do to me._

But she was feeling rather ill and exhausted, as everything that happened the previous night kept toying on the edges of her mind. And everyone knew that small dosages of loqua could help the body in varying ways depending on the type of drink.

_No!!_ She thought furiously. _I refuse! I refuse to be swayed by an Air Pirate._

Rising to her feet, she made her way to the door. Glancing out from the closest window she could find, she came to understand that she was indeed on a ship, it's pitch-black sails swelling in the wind…

_Black sails…Black Pirate…_

She bit her lip; no use thinking about stuff that will just make her more miserable. Slowly and unsteadily, she treaded down the hallway, stumbling every so often as she tried to keep her footing. She did not feel good at all, and the rocking of the aircraft certainly did not help that, but she was determined to get out of her predicament despite that obstacle. All ships had lifeboats, if she could just reach one…

She could hear shouts coming from a door near her. _Definitely not going that way…_she thought, walking in the opposite direction. She looked up a short flight of stairs and frowned. _This way?…_

Hesitantly climbing up, the sight that met her froze her in her place: the room was lined with pictures of women all dressed in disgustingly scant clothing. She shook her head a couple of times and glanced up again to make sure she was seeing things clearly. She knew there was a possibility she'd find something unpleasant, but it still came as such a surprise that she couldn't help but stare. Her faced tensed up into a grimace. She was confused. Normally, such a sight would welcome more fear and disgust but, to her own personal delight, she found herself capable of putting all that aside to concentrate on the single notion of escape.

"Hey." A voice remarked behind her. As the blood and adrenaline pumped through her veins, her thoughts scattered into bits and pieces of errant ideas. No longer could she keep her head from going haywire, and her body instinctively shot up the remaining stairs to turn and face this new perpetrator. Before her stood the red-coated captain, seemingly taken aback by her reaction.

"Uhhh…" He began, staring at her blankly. "Is there someth-"

"Stay back!" Sophitia screamed just as he took a step up the stairs. She tried to concentrate, but her she couldn't come up with anything remotely helpful at the moment. Just a jumble of ideas ranging from Dalan to pet pows. Letting her instincts take over, she groped around behind her and grabbed one of the guns on display all the while sorting through her mind. She never held a gun before, and she wasn't too keen on the sensation she felt as she slowly pointed it at him, but what else was she to do? Taking one deep breath and gritting her teeth, she cleared enough out of her mind only to remember the charcoal black sails that lay blowing out on the deck.

"Black Pirate." She added in a hiss through her teeth. The man froze in his tracks and, despite the fact that he was being threatened by one of his own weapons, stared back with an air of complete calm.

"Well, I don't particularly like to disappoint a lady but, first of all, I'm not a Black Pirate." His mouth started twitching as if he was finding it hard to keep a straight face. "And second…uh…Well, I think I should point out that none of those guns are loaded."

She spent the briefest of moments peering at the weapon with chagrin before she set it aside. A short silence followed.

"…You remember now, don't you?"

Her head snapped up this strange comment that destroyed the silence. _Remember? Remember what?_

"You…" She stammered, gritting her teeth again to keep her head in order. "…You're just trying to confuse me, aren't you?!"

"Do you remember what happened last night?"

Without warning, her mental defense broke and the memories came flooding back. She got chills when she thought of Dalan, dread when she realized she was dying, and disgust when she remembered what this man had done to her and the reaction her body gave in response. She could feel her face flushing in anger and embarrassment, a distressing reaction considering that the very same man could see her face. This was exactly what Sophitia had hoped to avoid until she was at least safe at home, and she clenched her fists in an effort to ward off the recent past.

"Y-yes. How could I forget?" She replied, trying and failing to keep her voice steady. "Dalan…he…and then you…you…you ripped my dress and…and…" She shuddered at that last part and turned to him in a half-sobbing rage. "And why are you even bringing this up?!"

"Do you remember waking up earlier this morning?" He asked with a contemplative glance.

"What? Now I know you're trying to confuse me!"

"No, no." He remarked with an apologetic smile. "Just trying to figure something out. But." He surveyed her with a frown. "Would you like a drink or something? You look awful."

"I'll pass" She sneered.

"Suit yourself."

When he continued his way up the stairs, she edged away defensively, but instead of venturing near her, he grabbed a nearby bottle of loqua, poured some in a glass he produced and sat on the couch. She observed him, trying to decipher his aim, but he merely admired the sky through the window, taking a sip of alcohol every so often. Neither of them spoke a word for what seemed like an eternity. As the man got up to stash the empty glass somewhere along the cabinets, she psyched up the courage to do something. Anything.

"Um…" She started tentatively. _Well, at least it's a start._

"Hm?"

_I don't really want to talk to this man any more than I have to, but what choice do I have? Dalan is…Dalan is…ah. And anyways, what if I go mad? If I don't straighten out my head sooner or later I might really lose it._

There were so many questions, so many ideas floating around in that raging sea of memories. So many answers were required to pick up the broken pieces of her life and try to make them fit again. As much as she hated it, as much as she detested it, she couldn't shake off the feeling that this was something she simply had to do. And the very first question that came to mind was…

* * *

**Kellogs' Fruit Loops**, a.k.a. **Looper Rings**. We've plucked hundreds or thousands of rings resulting in the near extinction of the Looper race, and shrunk them to bite-size proportions for your eating enjoyment. Hear them scream with every crunch and taste the colors of Arcadia's six moons! (Just pretend the orange ones are white). Warning: May contain trace amounts of the spell Pyri.

**Emana:** You will never look at Fruit Loops the same way again.


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